Report Card 2011

University of Chicago

Student Survey

With the publication of the
College
Sustainability
Report
Card
2011, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these
surveys
offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the
summer
of
2010
. To access surveys from other schools, go to the
surveys section
of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.

School name:
University of Chicago

Date submitted:
May 21, 2010

For each question, please choose the response that best represents the activities of your student organization. Some questions have additional instructions below the question. If you cannot find information for a particular question, please leave that question blank.

The response to this survey should be
only
in reference to one student organization. If there are multiple student organizations at a given school, each organization should complete its own survey. Only one survey should be submitted for each student organization at a particular school.

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Name: Heidi Levin

School Name: University of Chicago

Name of student organization: U of C Energy Initiative

Your position or title: Exectuive Director

2) Student Organization

Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role. If you are a member of multiple organizations, you will be able to enter information about their activities on a later page.

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

Use the categories below to help describe your group's initiatives in each area. In the "Describe" field, outline actions taken and elaborate on the impact and degree of success. You may want to compose your descriptions in Microsoft Word or a similar program and then paste them into the boxes provided. Please be detailed in your descriptions, and use the "Other" option to describe additional areas of involvement. You can also elaborate or add clarifying comments under "Additional Comments."

Addressed

Progress

Describe

Academics

Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

Second competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

If yes. Please describe below:

Include the following: How many students are active in the committee? How often does it meet? What kinds of power and decision-making ability does it have? What impacts and initiatives has it undertaken? What kind of working relationship does it have with other student groups and the administration?

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

Describe any activities that your group or yourself, as a leader on campus, have undertaken that are not already included in your survey responses. If applicable, also describe off-campus and community efforts that relate to institutional sustainability at your school.

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

Please list any regional or national networks with which your group is affiliated (e.g., Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, Sierra Student Coalition, a state PIRG, a state student sustainability coalition):

_______________________________

School name:
University of Chicago

Date submitted:
July 17, 2010

For each question, please choose the response that best represents the activities of your student organization. Some questions have additional instructions below the question. If you cannot find information for a particular question, please leave that question blank.

The response to this survey should be
only
in reference to one student organization. If there are multiple student organizations at a given school, each organization should complete its own survey. Only one survey should be submitted for each student organization at a particular school.

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Name: Willy Gu

School Name: University of Chicago

Name of student organization: Green Campus Initiative

Your position or title: Chair

2) Student Organization

Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role. If you are a member of multiple organizations, you will be able to enter information about their activities on a later page.

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

17

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

June 2, 2010

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Weekly

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

Use the categories below to help describe your group's initiatives in each area. In the "Describe" field, outline actions taken and elaborate on the impact and degree of success. You may want to compose your descriptions in Microsoft Word or a similar program and then paste them into the boxes provided. Please be detailed in your descriptions, and use the "Other" option to describe additional areas of involvement. You can also elaborate or add clarifying comments under "Additional Comments."

Addressed

Progress

Describe

Academics

Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects

[X]

Moderate

Helped host an academic conference on Green Governance with the Program on the Global Environment (Environmental Studies)

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

The winning dorm gets a trophy made out of reusable materials called the Green Cup. This year, for every percentage point reduced from a baseline, they also got to donate a corresponding amount of GCI's money to an environmental non-profit of their choice. The top 3 dorms also received a study break. For participants in the apartments, they would show us their electric bill from April and May, and the top 3 percentage reductions would receive a payout of the same percentage (70% reduced = $70).

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

The top 3 dorms had percentage reductions of -33.4%, -22.75%, and -15.95%.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

An increased awareness for simple ways to reduce energy consumption and its effects on environmental hazards like global warming.

Website:

gci-uchicago.blogspot.com

Second competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

No

If yes. Please describe below:

Include the following: How many students are active in the committee? How often does it meet? What kinds of power and decision-making ability does it have? What impacts and initiatives has it undertaken? What kind of working relationship does it have with other student groups and the administration?

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

Describe any activities that your group or yourself, as a leader on campus, have undertaken that are not already included in your survey responses. If applicable, also describe off-campus and community efforts that relate to institutional sustainability at your school.

We worked with Corporate Action International to start our own Think Outside the Bottle that will eventually eliminate all plastic bottled water on campus. We also increase the usage of filters and other safe, non-bottle drinking water tools on campus. This past quarter, we started off with the Tap Water Challenge which asks passersby to see if they can tell the difference between bottled water and tap water.

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

Please list any regional or national networks with which your group is affiliated (e.g., Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, Sierra Student Coalition, a state PIRG, a state student sustainability coalition):

Illinois State Environmental Coalition

_______________________________

School name:
University of Chicago

Date submitted:
July 19, 2010

For each question, please choose the response that best represents the activities of your student organization. Some questions have additional instructions below the question. If you cannot find information for a particular question, please leave that question blank.

The response to this survey should be
only
in reference to one student organization. If there are multiple student organizations at a given school, each organization should complete its own survey. Only one survey should be submitted for each student organization at a particular school.

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role. If you are a member of multiple organizations, you will be able to enter information about their activities on a later page.

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

1

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

October 1, 2008

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Weekly

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

Use the categories below to help describe your group's initiatives in each area. In the "Describe" field, outline actions taken and elaborate on the impact and degree of success. You may want to compose your descriptions in Microsoft Word or a similar program and then paste them into the boxes provided. Please be detailed in your descriptions, and use the "Other" option to describe additional areas of involvement. You can also elaborate or add clarifying comments under "Additional Comments."

Addressed

Progress

Describe

Academics

Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects

This organization is, for all practical intents and purposes, inactive, but the listhost for former members still exists, and I forward along emails of interest. It has basically been absorbed under the auspices of Green Campus Initiative (GCI) at the U of C, which is essentially the only active student-run environmental organization on campus.

3) Sustainability Competitions and Challenges

This information should describe a campus challenge or competition organized by your group to promote sustainability. To add general information about your group, return to the previous questions.

First competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

Second competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition

Frequency of competition

Year initiated

Even if the competition has not been held continually
each year, enter the year it began.

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

No

If yes. Please describe below:

Include the following: How many students are active in the committee? How often does it meet? What kinds of power and decision-making ability does it have? What impacts and initiatives has it undertaken? What kind of working relationship does it have with other student groups and the administration?

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

Describe any activities that your group or yourself, as a leader on campus, have undertaken that are not already included in your survey responses. If applicable, also describe off-campus and community efforts that relate to institutional sustainability at your school.

We sent a delegation of students to the Clinton Global Initiative University conference in Miami, to launch a joint composting and food donation program (titled Closing the Loop) on campus.

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

Please list any regional or national networks with which your group is affiliated (e.g., Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, Sierra Student Coalition, a state PIRG, a state student sustainability coalition):